BELYKH WANTS TO REFORM KIROV

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MOSCOW 002886 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/25/2019 TAGS: PGOV PINR KDEM EAID ECON EFIN EMIN RS SUBJECT: BELYKH WANTS TO REFORM KIROV REF: A. MOSCOW 2417 ¶B. MOSCOW 2542 ¶C. MOSCOW 2512 Classified By: Ambassador John R. Beyrle; reasons 1.4 (b, d). ¶1. (C) Summary: Kirov Oblast Governor Nikita Belykh met with Ambassador Beyrle November 18 to provide a review of his first year in office and discuss the road ahead. A former member of the opposition, Belykh declared, "I did not want power, and still do not want power, but power must be made to work for the people." Belykh has committed himself to reform not only the oblast's economy, but also the way that its people view their government, by expanding civil liberties and promoting initiative on the part of individual citizens. The region's size (slightly larger than England) and sparse population (1,400,000) contribute to a small tax base to fund public infrastructure, especially roads and gas pipelines. This difficulty is exacerbated by a corrupt and inefficient local bureaucracy, which Belykh has made a priority of challenging. Ambassador Beyrle plans to visit Kirov in the Spring. End Summary. Political Situation -------------- ¶2. (C) Kirov Oblast Governor Belykh met Ambassador November ¶18. He began by acknowledging that citizens in Kirov are not genuinely interested in governmental reform. Most governors serve in their home regions and are well connected to local social and political networks. Settling into Kirov has been an uphill battle, he said. Belykh is not a member of United Russia, the dominant political party regionally, but he does represent President Medvedev, with whom he has only indirect contact. He has no contact with PM Putin, whom he had criticized extensively when he was an active opposition politician and Putin was Russian President. Belykh reported that relations with PolPred Grigoriy Rapota are strong. (Note: This statement is in contrast to comments made to the Ambassador by Rapota during a September meeting in Nizhniy Novgorod (Ref A),where Rapota described the Belykh/Kirov arrangement as an "experiment," requiring a lot of his time and oversight. End Note). ¶3. (C) Belykh's experience working with Western officials, as well as his strong connections abroad, have made the security services uneasy. He must pre-clear foreign visitors through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and requests are heavily scrutinized by the Federal Security Service (FSB). Even visiting foreign investors are considered to be a threat and closely monitored. While Belykh is certainly thinking about local elections in 2011, they are not his priority. Medvedev's poslaniye referred to instituting federal regulations for the size of regional legislatures (based on population),meaning a possible reduction in the size of Kirov's Duma. That fact is weighing much more heavily on the Governor. Belykh's statement that it was too early to talk about elections is not in keeping with the message we received from his advisors while visiting Kirov in October (Ref B). Initiative and Efficiency -------------- ¶4. (C) In a November 18 article on Belykh in "Russia Behind the Headlines," the Governor is quoted as saying, "I am not going to order changes, as some might expect. I am trying to inspire local initiatives so that people can make changes independently of me." He reiterated this point to the Ambassador, referring to collaboration with the U.S. Export-Import Bank and World Bank, which are both actively seeking projects in the area. World Bank programs not only provide funds, but also allow individual communities to decide on projects for which to apply for funding. Belykh lamented the fact that most bureaucrats still passively wait for his command instead of taking the initiative. Asked by the Ambassador how long it would take for initiative to be rewarded with completed projects, the governor admitted most had a planning horizon of one to two years. Economic Prospects -------------- ¶5. (C) Kirov is not a center for trade with any of its neighbors. The Oblast contains, however, an important junction between the Trans-Siberian rail line and a major North-South rail line. Belykh argued that construction and administrative costs are between 25 and 50 percent lower than in neighboring oblasts. Defense production, which dominated Kirov's economy before the fall of the Soviet Union, has MOSCOW 00002886 002 OF 002 almost entirely dried up. The local economy is now dominated by a chemical works, cement production, smelting, raw lumber, agriculture and dairy production (Reftel C). Nevertheless the region is struggling. Belykh predicted that 60 percent of the oblast's budget in the coming year would be supplied by the Federal Government. ¶6. (C) Belykh also pointed to success the region has had attracting foreign investment, and laid out further opportunities. Italian and Spanish companies have established manufacturing plants. Belykh said large National Project funding from the Russia government to stimulate scientific research would help to establish Kirov as a center for innovation. Kirov has enormous forests, which at the moment are inefficiently exploited. Lumber is exported to other cities (mainly Perm and Arkhangelsk) for processing. Belykh said that with significant foreign investment, Kirov has the potential to be come a major supplier of furniture and finished lumber. Cooperation with USAID -------------- ¶7. (C) While there are myriad opportunities for US-Russia cooperation in development in Kirov, Belykh has been working to overcome security service concerns as well as the general unease of the population with foreigners. Prior to the meeting with the Ambassador, Belykh discussed with USAID Moscow deputy director the potential for expanded USAID work in Kirov. In the wake of protests last month against US involvement in the region (on the margins of a USAID-supported conference on economic growth),Belykh expressed caution about the idea of expanding work with USAID too quickly. He specifically suggested that a visit by the USAID Mission Director on her own would not be a good idea at this time. Rather, he proposed that she come with a large delegation, or with the Ambassador, in order to stress the official nature of the visit and forestall rumors of "foreign influence." Belykh later, however, did express support for the idea of looking at safe areas for potential collaboration with USAID and its partners, specifically public health and economic development. Comment -------------- ¶8. (C) Belykh has continued to tread water in Kirov but appears comfortable discussing challenges he still needs to address. He remains popular with oblast residents, and his steady performance over the last year in the face of the local bureaucracy, corruption and the financial crisis demonstrates determination to try to carry through on Medvedev's proposals to fight corruption and bureaucratic inertia. Whether he relishes his status as a former opposition politician no in a position or authority, his success - or failure - will influence whether others like him are invited to work for Medvedev, and if so, whether they see any reason to accept. Ambassador Beyrle accepted Belykh's invitation to visit Kirov, and will plan a visit to the Oblast in the spring. Beyrle